Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde on Sunday hit back at former Ekiti State governor Ayodele Fayose over claims that the Federal Government released N50bn to Oyo State as relief funds following the January 2024 explosion in Bodija, Ibadan.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Makinde clarified that while Oyo State requested N50bn, the Federal Government only released N30bn.

Fayose had sparked controversy on Friday during a TVC programme when he accused Makinde of failing to disclose that he received N50bn from the President Bola Tinubu administration to support victims of the Bodija explosion.

Fayose argued that Makinde only declined the President’s request to help organise the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, but did not inform Nigerians about the alleged federal assistance.

“But you did not tell Nigerians that, at the prerogative, at the mercy of Mr President, you got N50bn in support of the explosion in Ibadan. He never said that to Nigerians. So, the President can say the explosion is not worth more than N10bn,” Fayose said.

Makinde, in a separate interview, had confirmed declining the President’s request to help organise the APC in Oyo State.

In response to Fayose’s allegation, Olanrewaju noted that Fayose’s viral letter to the Minister of Finance only showed Oyo State’s request for intervention funds, not evidence of disbursement.

“A promise, however, is not a release. What exists on record is a request and a promise, not a disbursement of N50bn,” Olanrewaju said.

He added that only N30bn was released, with N4.5bn disbursed directly to victims, while the remaining funds were used for reconstruction, infrastructure upgrades, and enhanced security measures in the affected area.

Olanrewaju stressed that the renewed controversy followed Makinde’s recent declaration that he would not support Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, a statement that, according to him, triggered political hostilities and attempts to discredit the governor.

Makinde’s aide rallied supporters, saying: “Half-truths and outright falsehoods may offer temporary comfort to those who trade in political mischief, but they always collapse under the weight of facts. Truth does not need protection. It only needs to be told, fully, clearly, and without fear.”

Joining the fray, a PDP group in Oyo State, Oyo PDP-Visionaries, dismissed Fayose’s claims as misleading.

In a statement, its Coordinator, Qudus Olayide, described the circulated document as merely a request and not an approval, mocking Fayose’s claim as a display of “half-education.”

The group berated Fayose for attempting to justify what it described as a false allegation with a letter from the Ministry of Finance which, according to it, only listed requests submitted by states and not approvals.

The group described Fayose’s conduct as shameful, demeaning and disturbing, accusing him of deliberately spreading falsehood to discredit Makinde and attempting to legitimise the claim by publishing what it termed a misleading document.

“Today, we join the rest of the world to stand against half-education; it is worse than evil. We have seen its effects in society, but its manifestation in the life of a former Ekiti State Governor has shown how devastating ill-literacy can be,” the statement read.

The group further accused Fayose of acting out of personal interest and political inducement.

“Mr Fayose went on air, motivated by what he could benefit from Nyesom Wike, the drunken emperor of Rivers, to deride Governor Makinde. Like every loquacious person, Fayose pushed himself into error by claiming that Makinde got N50bn as support for the Bodija explosion.

“Determined to do further damage, the shameless man brought an ‘evidence’ to support his claim, only that the ‘evidence’ was a letter indicating a request and not a final approval.”

Oyo PDP-Visionaries said Fayose’s political history showed that he was not a serious individual and likened him to a court jester, noting that it initially ignored his comments until he published what he claimed was evidence.

“Anyone who has followed Fayose’s trajectory in politics would know that he is not someone to be taken seriously; he is more like a court jester than a serious individual.

“Thus, when he went on air to vituperate against Makinde, we watched, listened and refused to engage him.

“However, now that he has published his so-called evidence and it has collapsed in the face of reason, it becomes necessary to warn him to back off and stop disgracing his family.”

The group warned Fayose against further attacks, saying there should be a limit to shamelessness, while urging the public to appreciate the value of education so that future leaders do not become ill-literate.

“There should be a limit to foolhardiness and shamelessness, and Mr Fayose, the half-educated former governor who cannot distinguish a letter of request from an approval, should know the limit before he further brings disgrace to Ekiti State, which he governed for two terms.

“More importantly, this is a warning to the public to instil in their children the value of education, so they do not grow up ill-literate like Fayose, selling their nuisance for dollars.”

The group also hailed Makinde as a transparent and people-centred leader who, it said, has consistently acted above board in public service, and warned Fayose to desist from distracting the governor with what it described as “low-life, chop-chop politics”.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State demanded that Governor Makinde explain how he allegedly utilised a N50bn relief fund purportedly received from the Federal Government following the Bodija explosion, or resign from office.

In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the APC accused Makinde of making disparaging remarks against President Tinubu and the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, during a recent media chat.

The party claimed the governor said he rejected the President’s request to organise the APC in Oyo State and also alleged that Adelabu lacked the capacity to deliver.

The APC further accused Makinde of financial recklessness since assuming office in 2019, alleging inflation of contract costs, including N63.5bn for the renovation of the Agodi Government House and N259bn for the second phase of the Ibadan Circular Road project.

On the Bodija explosion, the APC claimed Makinde said he spent N4.5bn on victims without providing adequate records or accountability, insisting that if N50bn was indeed received as alleged by Fayose, the governor must explain how the funds were utilised.

“Now that his close friend and fellow party member has disclosed that a whopping N50bn was paid into the coffers of the state government as relief by the Federal Government, Makinde should know that a flippant response by his media aide will not suffice. The public deserves to know what was done with the money,” the APC said. (PUNCH)

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